Strange Little Girl
by Cuthbert72
Summary: A/U The 'Strange Little Girl' is Luna. This is her story from early childhood to being reunited with Neville after her foreign travels. It has links to some of my other 'Luna' stories. Yes, the title was suggested by the 'Stranglers' sweet song about a 'Strange Little Girl"
1. Chapter 1: Shell Cottage

**Chapter 1: Shell Cottage**

The June and July of that year were warm and sunny. Some of the muggle population were complaining about the heat and the lack of rain. This was not surprising as British muggles are rarely happy about the prevailing weather. However, in the garden of Shell Cottage, things were different. The garden was watered by an underground spring, which had never been known to run dry, even in the Summers of 1959 and 1976, so the flowers and vegetables in it always survived any drought.

The cottage was occupied by the Lovegood family. The father, Xenophilius Lovegood was the editor-in-chief of the Quibbler magazine, which circulated among witches and wizards. It was in direct competition with The Daily Prophet, but was totally independent of the Ministry of Magic. Even back then, many years before the re-emergence of Voldemort the 'Prophet' was seen as a mouthpiece for Ministry propaganda, and the Quibbler provided what was seen as a more accurate version of the news within the wizarding world.

Xenophilius was married to Pandora, and had a beautiful blonde-haired daughter, whom they had named 'Luna' after the moon. The grounds of the cottage in the village of Ottery St Catchpole, were very secluded, so they didn't worry if the young Luna was naked when she played outside. In fact, they regarded clothes as an inconvenience in warm sunny weather, and felt that being allowed to play in the garden naked would give little Luna a healthier attitude to her own body. Xenophilius and Pandora would also let their own naked bodies enjoy the sunshine when the weather was suitable. This attitude to nakedness was shared by several of the wizarding families, who believed, in contrast with most muggles, that the naked human body, was completely natural and not something offensive to be ashamed of.

As they lived nearby, the children of the Weasley and Diggory families often visited Luna and played in her garden, Ron and Ginny Weasley often stripping naked when they played in the garden with Luna. This had the advantage that they didn't have to explain wet clothes to their parents when they got home. A lot of their play involved water, it being plentiful at Shell Cottage, even in times of drought.

On a particularly warm and sunny morning, it happened. Luna and her mother, Pandora were alone in the garden, enjoying the sunshine. Pandora was attempting a somewhat risky magical experiment, which involved the shaping of a granite boulder into a perfect cube. The nine-year-old Luna was looking on, as she frequently did when her mother was carrying out these experiments. She raised her wand, recited an incantation and pointed the wand at the boulder she was trying to shape. There was an explosion and a green flash blew back at Pandora, killing her instantly. It was almost as if the boulder had the 'Avada Kedavra' curse within it and attacked Pandora when her spell hit it. Little Luna ran to her mother screaming. When she reached Pandora, she realised that her mother was no more. Xenophilius, who was working in the attic at the time, heard the commotion and rushed down to investigate. He found his nine-year-old daughter crouching over his wife's lifeless body, sobbing convulsively and uncontrollably. As it was a warm, sunny day, both were naked.

Although Luna was traumatised by this experience, she was lucid enough to explain to her father what had happened to Pandora. Xenophilius took Luna indoors, got her to put on her night clothes, and suggested that she should rest, and at least, attempt to suppress the thoughts that were flooding through her now troubled mind. He spent the next half hour attending to his wife's body, before returning to Luna. Although he was devastated by the sudden death of his wife, he realised he had to be strong for his daughter. He stayed with her for the rest of that day, and a lot of that night, providing what emotional support he could to the distraught Luna.

It was remarkable how quickly Luna recovered from this devastating emotional trauma. One major factor could have been the way Xenophilius looked after his daughter's emotional needs. Also, in the nine years she had spent with her mother, and thanks to the way Pandora had brought her up, she had become emotionally quite resilient. Cedric Diggory had always called her 'Smiley' because of her almost permanent smile. If she looked glum, it meant that something was seriously wrong. She almost never cried. She always seemed to take everything, good and bad, in her stride.

Naturally, the sudden violent death of Pandora, knocked her back, and her bright smile was absent for a couple of months. During this time, she was seemingly recovering from her trauma. She was also trying desperately to put it to the back of her mind and not quite succeeding. For a considerable time after the incident, she experienced flashbacks. These became less frequent over the next couple of years, and to all intents and purposes had ceased by the time she was due to go to Hogwarts.

Xenophilius, of course, felt he had to supply the love for his little girl that Pandora used to supply. He was relatively successful in this enterprise. He knew that he would also have to provide the advice about 'girly' things, which Pandora would normally have been able to give. Luna found that she could nearly always turn to her father when she wanted some emotional support. She missed her mother, of course, and frequently asked questions about her.

All the time this process was going on, Xenophilius was keeping her conscious mind fully occupied with his wonderous stories about some of the strange magical creatures he said he had encountered. She was especially fascinated by the small invisible creatures, which could fuddle the mind, or lead their victims astray; wrackspurts and Nargles. Xenophilius also told her about Thestrals, which would only be visible to people who had actually witnessed a death.

"It's not beyond the bounds of possibility," he said, "That you are going to have to explain Thestrals to other students when you go to Hogwarts. After all, you, and only a few others will be able to see them."

She also learnt about Gulping Plimpies, Blibbering Humdingers and the legendary Crumple Horned Snorkack.

The frequent visits by the youngest Weasleys and Cedric Diggory also kept Luna's mind occupied and her spirits up. By Yuletide, Luna seemed to be back to something approaching normal. She no longer asked questions about her mother. Her semi-permanent sweet smile had returned, and she was only too pleased to pass her newly acquired knowledge about magical creatures on to her friends.

When the warm weather returned, the following Summer, she resumed playing naked in her secluded garden. However, she noted that Ron, Ginny and Cedric were no longer willing to remove their all their clothes, and wore swimming costumes if they knew that water was going to be involved in their play. She asked her father why this was. He explained that muggles have a concept of 'decency', which was very different from that of the wizarding community, and that Arthur Weasley's intense interest in muggles had probably influenced his offspring's attitudes.

"Don't let it worry you." said Xenophilius, "Different people have different ideas, and I guess that your young friends have adopted some muggle concepts regarding what they call 'decency'. Does playing with them when you're naked and they're clothed embarrass you?"

"No, not at all." said Luna, "I just feel a little sad for the other three feeling they have to hide their bodies. In any case, I love the glorious feeling I get when I'm not restricted by a tight swimming costume. I feel so free. Anyway, I think my body looks pretty without clothes."

"That's good." said Xenophilius, "But, in the next few years, your body is going to change. You will be developing from a girl into a young woman. You might want to hide certain parts of your body, even from me. I suspect Ron and Cedric, and possibly Ginny, are beginning to experience those changes. When this begins to happen, don't hesitate to come to me for advice."

"And if you don't know the answer?" asked Luna, a little worried that a man would not have the answer to 'feminine' problems.

"I'm on good terms with Molly Weasley." said Xenophilius, "She will be able to help you when I can't, but she might be inclined to say that you should cover up at certain times."

"Why should I hide any part of my body." said Luna, "As you've told me many times, it, all of it, is me, and it's not something for me to be ashamed of. As I've said, I think it's pretty, and showing it doesn't embarrass me at all."

As she had grown up with her parents, she had learnt to accept events, good and bad, with equanimity. Even as a very little girl, she didn't often let unfortunate occurrences get her down. Being an only child, she had also learnt how to enjoy her own company. As a result, she never succumbed to loneliness. However, the most endearing characteristic of Luna's personality was that she somehow managed to find something to love in everyone and everything she encountered. This was one of the things her mother had persuaded her was good, and she had taken it to heart. It was possibly this positive attitude to life which enabled her to recover relatively quickly from the trauma of her mother's death.

In due course of time, two years after her mother's unfortunate death, Xenophilius received the letter inviting his daughter to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For the next seven years, she would be spending more than half of each year away from the idyllic surroundings of Shell Cottage. She regarded this prospect with mixed feelings. She was of course, looking forward to the new environment at the school. She was also anticipating with some pleasure what she would learn there over and above what her father had already taught her. However, she was not looking forward to leaving her father completely on his own during term time.

The first day of term was approaching. Luna, unusually for her, was not completely happy. This worried Xenophilius. One evening, he decided to tackle her about it.

"You're not quite my bright ray of moonlight these days." said Xenophilius, "It takes a lot to stop you smiling. What's troubling you?"

"I'm thinking of you being completely on your own when I start at Hogwarts." said Luna, sadly, "You're going to be so lonely."

"I don't think that's anything for you to worry about." said Xenophilius, "Like you, Luna, I've developed the knack of enjoying my own company. In any case, it'll give me even more time to devote to 'The Quibbler', I'm more worried about you, having to fit in with new surroundings and particularly new, and possibly some less than friendly, people."

"That does slightly, but only slightly worry me." said Luna, "But Ginny will be going up there with me, so I will have at least one good friend there. It would be lovely if we were both sorted into the same house."

"That decision is up to the 'sorting hat'." said Xenophilius, "Your knowledge and bright intelligence means that you will probably end up in Ravenclaw, and all the Weasleys, so far, have been sorted into Gryffindor, so it might not happen that way. However, it would be nice if you two were in the same house."

"That would be good." said Luna, "But even if we're not together in the same house, I'll try not to be too downhearted. We can still be friends."

"One thing you should be aware of," said Xenophilius, "Is that because of your knowledge and intelligence, you are different from other girls of your age. This isn't a bad thing in itself, Luna, but you might get picked on by some of the other students at the school. Don't let this get you down. It'll probably be because they're likely to be jealous of you, just because of your knowledge and intelligence."

"Hopefully, if that happens," said Luna, "I'll be able to turn to Ginny, even if we are in different houses."

"If, as seems likely, you do end up in Ravenclaw," said Xenophilius, "I'm sure you'll make some good friends there."

"I certainly hope so." said Luna, yawning, "I'll need someone to talk to in the evenings."

"You sound as if you're ready for bed." said Xenophilius, "I suggest you go upstairs, do some packing and find some sleep. While you're on your way to the Land of Nod, think about what I've said this evening."

Luna went up to her bedroom, did some packing, as her father had suggested, and went to bed. Of course, the activities involved in packing had brought her back from her sleepy state, so it took some time before she could sleep. After all, she was only one week away from starting at a boarding school five hundred miles away from Shell Cottage. She was excited, of course, but in spite of what her father had said, she still had a few misgivings. She did give some thought to what had been discussed, but sleep overcame her before she came to any conclusions.


	2. Chapter 2: The Journey to Hogwarts

**Chapter 2: The Journey to Hogwarts**

At last, the day came when she had to board the 'Hogwarts Express'. Luna was up very early. They were going to co-ordinate their travel arrangements with the Weasley family. The older Weasley brothers, together with Harry Potter would travel with Molly using wizarding forms of transportation, while Arthur would take Ginny, Ron and Luna to Kings Cross in the flying Ford Anglia. Once their baggage had been magically compressed into the car's small boot, and their animal companions were accommodated, they could get under way. Ron sat in the front passenger seat and the two girls sat in the back, with Ron's rat, Scabbers, in its cage between them. It was intended that they would all meet up outside Kings Cross Station.

Arthur activated the cloaking device while they were still in the garden of 'The Burrow'. This meant he could take off immediately without being seen by any muggles. Once they were clear of Ottery St Catchpole, Arthur took the car up to its most comfortable cruising altitude of about three thousand feet. This was high enough to be above most of the private flyers and below any commercial air traffic. He had to be particularly observant in the region of Salisbury Plain, however, as military pilots would not be expected to encounter an invisible flying Ford Anglia while on exercises. Other than this, the journey was uneventful. The air was clear and the sky cloudless so they had an excellent view of the ground. Arthur pointed out places of interest along the route, such as Stonehenge on one side, and Old Sarum on the other. They ascended to seven thousand feet while passing over Farnborough Airfield, before commencing their descent towards central London and ultimately, Kings Cross Station.

Looking down at the streets below him, Arthur located a deserted road in Camden Town, and landed. Having made sure nobody was about, he deactivated the cloaking device and drove towards Kings Cross. He parked in the forecourt of the Midland Hotel at nearby St Pancras Station.

As arranged, all eight met up in the open area outside the station and made their way to the archways between platforms nine and ten. The senior Weasleys went through the wall first together with Arthur and Molly. Fred stayed with Luna and Ginny and followed them through the wall. Next to try was Harry, who found that the wall had 'closed'. He failed to get through. Ron encountered the same problem. How these two made their way to Hogwarts is related elsewhere.

Unaware of the problem encountered by Ron and Harry in the 'public' part of the station Arthur and Molly shepherded the older Weasleys onto the train, before assisting Ginny and Luna to find a couple of seats. By this time, it was about a minute to eleven, and station staff were blowing whistles to encourage the few remaining passengers to board the train.

"Where are Ron and Harry?" asked Molly.

"I thought they were right behind you." said Arthur, "Hopefully they're already on board. I guess I'll have to deliver them to Hogwarts myself if they've missed the train."

Just then, the guard waved his green flag. There was a high-pitched shriek from the train whistle, and the Hogwarts Express was on its way North. Ginny Weasley, and Luna Lovegood settled into their seats and made themselves comfortable. Luna produced her copy of 'The Quibbler' and started reading it, upside down, as she usually did. They prepared themselves for the long train journey.

In the same compartment with Ginny and Luna, were two Indian girls, who appeared to be twins and a Chinese girl. Also, there was a slightly tubby boy who, like the three other girls was probably about to start his second year at the school. He was nursing a large toad; whose name was Trevor.

For the first half-hour, everybody sat in silence, as the train picked its way through the North London suburbs. The 'ice' was broken by the arrival of a snack trolley with all kinds of sweets. The two Indian girls asked for chocolate frogs, while The Chinese girl ordered a packet of Bertie Bott's All Flavour Beans.

"You two look new." said the Chinese girl, "I think introductions are in order. I'm Cho Chang and my friends are Parvati and Padma Patil. I know both their names, but I can't tell which one is which. We're starting our second year."

"I'm Padma." said the Indian girl in the window seat.

"And I'm Parvati." said the other.

"The boy in the corner with the toad is Neville Longbottom." continued Cho, "He seems to have got separated from his usual companions. What are your names?"

"I'm Ginny Weasley," said Ginny, "And my blonde friend is Luna Lovegood."

"What house do you want to be sorted into?" asked Padma.

"All my brothers are in Gryffindor." said Ginny, "So, obviously, I'd like to go there."

"And I'd like to be in the same house as my friend." said Luna, "We've been friends for quite a few years now."

"It doesn't always work that way." said Padma, "I'm in Gryffindor, while my sister was sorted into Ravenclaw, despite us being identical. It's all up to what the 'sorting' hat decides on the first evening."

"That way, you'll know where you're going to sleep on your first night." said Cho, "Incidentally, why are you reading your magazine upside down?"

"Daddy says doing it this way makes my brain work harder." said Luna, "It does mean that I can read anything any way up without problems. Mirror writing is a bit harder though."

"Welcome to Ravenclaw." said Parvati, "With a brain like that, I think that's probably where you're going."

Cho agreed with her, and said that it was almost certain that Luna would be sorted into Ravenclaw. This would mean that she would not see as much of Ginny as she would like as it was almost certain that the youngest Weasley child would follow her siblings into Gryffindor.

Luna also talked about the strange magical creatures that her father believed in, such as Nargles and Wrackspurts. So convincing was Luna, that none of the three girls felt able to deny their existence. She also said that she hoped that none of them would be unlucky enough to see a Thestral.

"Why is that?" asked Cho, "Is a Thestral a particularly vicious creature?"

"No." said Luna, "Thestrals are gentle creatures, but only people who have witnessed a death can see them."

The conversation then turned to Luna's life before her dad received her Hogwarts letter. She described the idyllic surroundings of Shell Cottage and its totally secluded garden. Despite Ginny's attempts to deter her, she went into raptures about the joy and freedom of being able to play in the sunshine naked

"Wouldn't anyone see you?" asked Padma.

"Only if they were flying." said Luna, "It never happened, but if it had, I could always disappear under a tree.

"You've mentioned your dad, but not your mother." said Cho, "Why is that?"

This question brought an instant change in Luna's expression. Her smile faded, and she wiped away a tear

"I'm sorry." said Cho, "I didn't mean to upset you, but what did actually happen?"

"Sh - she was trying out a magical experiment with a granite boulder a couple of years ago." said Luna, "There was a bright green flash from the boulder, and an explosion. She was dead when I got to her. I'm trying to forget the incident. It's too upsetting. She was a totally lovely person in every way. Dad has done his best to look after me, but I still miss my mother."

"We're so sorry," said Parvati, "We didn't mean to stir memories you've trying to bury. We won't pursue that one any further."

"I hesitate to mention this," said Padma, "But, now I'm beginning to get to know you, I've noticed something wonderful about you."

"What is that?" asked Luna, "I'm not aware that I'm particularly wonderful."

"You seem to be surrounded by an atmosphere of deep calm." said Padma, "I don't think anyone who interacts with you could feel agitated."

"Is that good?" asked Luna.

"It's marvellous." said Cho, "It means that anyone who actually makes the effort to get to know you will want to be a friend."

"But don't let what I'm about to say worry you," said Parvati, "Because you're 'different', and you are, wonderfully different, there are some people who will pick on you. The best way to deal with them is not to let them get to you, they're probably jealous."

"I didn't really believe that when dad told me the same thing." said Luna, "But now, hearing it from someone about my own age as well, I think it might make sense."

"Also," said Parvati, "With your belief in creatures most of them have never heard of, they might think you're a bit scatty, so be ready for that kind of thing."

"Yes," said Padma, "We've only just met you, but our first impression of you is that that you are a bright, intelligent girl, and that we already regard you as a friend. Incidentally, what is that magazine you're reading?"

"It's 'The Quibbler'." said Luna, "My dad is the editor. It comes out weekly. This is the latest one. Would you like to borrow it?"

Luna's copy of 'The Quibbler' was passed found and all the girls had a look at it. At this point, Neville came to life and showed an interest. When he looked at it, he commented that one of his classmates, Harry Potter might be interested, as the content was very much at variance with the views expressed in 'The Daily Prophet'.

"My dad told me that he thinks that 'The Prophet' just publishes the Ministry's views." said Luna, "He likes to be independent, so he started 'The Quibbler'."

Once everyone in the compartment had browsed through the magazine, the conversation turned back to some of the strange creatures believed in by Luna. The girls weren't quite prepared to believe in Nargles or Wrackspurts, but were fascinated by Luna's description of Thestrals.

"You won't see one unless you have actually seen someone die." said Luna, "But I assure you they exist. I won't be seeing one until my second year at Hogwarts."

"How do you know that?" asked Cho.

Dad tells me that first-year students go to the castle from Hogsmeade station by boat." said Luna, "But, from the second year onwards, you'll be taken to the school in what look like horse-drawn carriages, but the 'horses' will be invisible to most people, because they're Thestrals. There will be nothing visible between the shafts. I guess that's the only bright thing about losing mum. I'll be able to see them. The other interesting thing dad told me about them, is that they have wings and can fly."

Normally, recalling her mother's death would have brought tears, but such was Luna's enthusiasm while explaining the Thestrals, that she was smiling throughout her description. Ginny noticed this.

"Well done!" said Ginny, "You appear to have recovered almost completely. Keep it up."

"I love talking about fantastic creatures," said Luna, "And I think the Thestrals are as fantastic as any that dad has told me about."

The trolley came around again, this time with more substantial refreshments, as it was teatime. The girls all enjoyed the cakes and buns offered. After this, they decided to rest. Luna finished reading her 'Quibbler', while the rest of them dozed.

Eventually, as darkness fell, it was time for the passengers to put on their robes ready for arrival at Hogsmeade Station. The train had been travelling relatively slowly for the last couple of hours as it was negotiating the sharp curves and steep gradients of the Scottish railway system.

The one passenger in the compartment who had not taken part in the discussions was Neville. Possibly because he was quite shy. He also felt awkward in the company of girls. However, he had paid attention to what was going on around him, and began feel an attraction for Luna. Although he was too shy to engage her in conversation, he had a slight inkling that he would like to be closer to her. Something about her personality had touched him at a very deep level.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye for the time being." said Padma, as the train drew to a halt at Hogsmeade, "You two will be taken to the boats by just about the biggest man I've ever seen. He's called Hagrid. He's the Hogwarts gamekeeper. Don't be scared of him. He's a gentle giant. We will be having our first ride in the carriages. If what you say is true, it'll be interesting to be pulled along by something invisible. Anyway, best of luck with the sorting hat, you two seem such close friends. It would be a pity if you were in different houses."

As the passengers left the train, a powerful voice could be heard bellowing "First years this way!". The owner of the voice was a bulky man, with long black curly hair and an enormous beard. He was easily seven feet tall. This was Hagrid. Luna and Ginny made their way towards him, while the other occupants of the compartment were ushered into the station yard, where the carriages were waiting. Hagrid led the new intake of first-year students down a slope to the lake (loch?), where a number of boats were waiting to take them across to the castle. Luna and Ginny, together with three other girls boarded one of the boats. Once they were safely seated, it untied itself and made its own way across the water to the school's jetty. Even Luna was baffled by this.

"What makes these boats go?" she asked.

"I don't know." said Ginny, "Perhaps it's something invisible, like the Thestrals."

"I really will have to find out." said Luna, "Otherwise, it'll be bugging me for the rest of the term."

"Don't let it worry you." said Ginny, "I expect someone might explain it."

One of the other girls, whose name was Marietta, said that she had been told that there are merpeople in the lake, and that they push the boats across it.

"But that doesn't explain how they untie themselves before crossing." said Luna, "Merpeople aren't invisible, so something else must untie the ropes; something that knows when all the seats are occupied."

"You seem very curious about everything around you." said Marietta, "Who are you?"

"I'm Luna Lovegood." said Luna, "And this is my best friend Ginny Weasley."

"Is your dad Xenophilius Lovegood?" asked another girl, whose name was Felicity.

"Yes, he is." said Luna, "He edits 'The Quibbler'."

"I have seen that." said Felicity, "It seems a very weird magazine. Our folks usually read 'The Daily Prophet'."

Since she had finished reading it on the long train journey, Luna let Felicity have her current copy of 'The Quibbler'.

"Have this." said Luna, smiling and handing the magazine to Felicity, "If you read it, you'll be able to judge whether it is weird. Oh yes, it's quite fun if you read it upside down."

"I don't quite see the sense in that." said Felicity, "It seems a weird way of reading it, but I guess you have to think more when it's that way up."

"Just so." said Luna,

The boat had by this time arrived at the castle, and was apparently tying itself to the jetty. Again, there was no-one actually handling the rope. The five girls disembarked, and were brought together with the other first-year students. Hagrid led them up to the castle entrance, where Professor McGonegall took over. They were led into the great hall and filed past the older students, who were already seated at their house tables. They were lined up in three rows in front of the stage. On it was a laboratory stool upon which rested a very tatty looking witch's hat. This was the 'Sorting Hat'. Professor McGonegall called out the name of each new student in turn and placed the hat on their head. It declared, sometimes quickly and sometimes slowly, which house the student was to be sorted into. The first of the five girls to be called, who had been on the boat, was Felicity Eastchurch. She was sorted into Ravenclaw.

Luna was called shortly afterwards.

"I detect that you might like to be in Gryffindor," said the hat, "But your curiosity and your intelligence means that the best place for you is," the hat paused for a couple of seconds, before exclaiming, "Ravenclaw!"

Marietta and the fifth girl in the boat, Latisha Randle, were also sorted into Ravenclaw. Almost at the end, it was Ginny's turn.

"I know you would like to be in the same house as your friend," began the hat, "But, as all four of your brothers have been in Gryffindor, and you share something of their character, I must place you in Gryffindor."

This was a slight disappointment to both Ginny and Luna, but it wasn't unexpected. Luna and Ginny had now been allocated to their houses for the next seven years. Because the hat had detected Luna's bright intelligence and curiosity, it had put her into the most appropriate house, while Ginny followed her brothers into Gryffindor. Luna's 'formal' witchcraft education had begun.


	3. Chapter 3: Hogwarts and Insults

**Chapter 3: Hogwarts and Insults**

After living with, at first, both her parents, then just her father in the idyllic rural surroundings of Ottery St. Catchpole for the first eleven years of her life, it took quite a while for Luna to adapt to her new environment. For a start, there were many children of about her own age, both boys and girls. She was used to the relaxed atmosphere of the village school, and found the more structured ethos of Hogwarts somewhat daunting. The fact that she was perceived to be 'different' didn't help matters.

She did, of course, have one good friend in Ginny Weasley, but she had been sorted into a different house. Because of her perceived intelligence, Luna had been placed in Ravenclaw, while Ginny had followed all her brothers into Gryffindor. She was also on very friendly terms with Cho Chang and Parvati Patil, whom she had met on the train. They would, at least, provide some pleasant company in the common room in the evening.

At first, she was careful about mentioning some of 'her' fantastic creatures, as she had been warned by Ginny that this might bring her some unwanted attention. However, she did occasionally let out the odd reference to such creatures as Nargles, or Gulping Plimpies. Another factor which attracted attention was her considerable knowledge and willingness to learn. Whenever a question was asked of the class, her hand was the first to go up. Two of her classmates were particularly resentful of her intelligence and her wide range of knowledge. The fact that she didn't interact closely with the other girls and didn't make friends easily also encouraged these two to pick on her, and try to make her life less pleasant than it could have been.

Latisha Randle and Felicity Eastchurch somehow managed to get most of the class to believe that Luna was more than somewhat 'scatty'. It wasn't very long before nearly everyone in her house was calling her 'Looney'. Being emotionally resilient, she did manage to take all this with reasonably good humour. Now and again, her principal tormentors would hide some of her things, such as shoes, or other items of clothing. Having been warned by both her dad and Ginny that this kind of thing might happen, she reluctantly accepted it as part of life. She often blamed Nargles for hiding her shoes as they were mischievous creatures, who would frequently play jokes on people.

She did, albeit slowly, form firm friendships with a small number of other students, in Gryffindor as well as Ravenclaw. In fact, she felt that she had closer friends in Gryffindor than in her own house. Among these were Ron and Ginny Weasley, as well as Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. The only true friends she felt she could trust in Ravenclaw were Cho Chang and Parvati Patil. There were, however, even a couple of Gryffindors who joined in with the mocking of Luna because she was seen to be 'different'. Not least of these was Seamus Finnegan.

As the terms passed, the mocking comments and the pranks reduced, as the perpetrators began to realise that they were having no effect on Luna. However, she was still frequently called 'Looney' as some people thought that was her real name. She didn't bother to correct them. She just answered to whichever name was called. She felt it was a good indication of who knew her as a person and those who merely regarded her as a slightly odd acquaintance.

At the beginning of her fourth year at Hogwarts, she was initially the sole occupant of one of the carriages at Hogsmeade Station. She was joined by Harry, Ron and Hermione. Harry was apparently 'seeing things', and the other two were questioning his sanity.

"You're just as sane as I am." said Luna.

She then spent the short journey to the school explaining why Harry could see the Thestrals, while they were invisible to the other two. She left a very favourable impression with not only Harry, but also Ron and Hermione.

The students who did make the effort to get to know her discovered a gentle, passionate, intelligent and cheerful girl, who was very rarely depressed. They found that any interaction with her brought both tranquility and inspiration. She seemed to be able to create an atmosphere of serenity around her, which was contagious.

At mealtimes, normally students would eat at their house tables, so obviously Luna would be at the Ravenclaw table. She usually sat with either Cho Chang or Parvati Patil. When she talked with them, she was smiling brightly and gave the impression of being a source of deep joy. While sitting there, not long after the beginning of the Autumn term in her fourth year, she noticed that one of the boys on the Gryffindor table was looking at her from time to time, but would look away rapidly whenever he realised she was looking towards him.

"That boy over there keeps looking at me." said Luna, "But whenever I look his way, he looks away quickly before I can smile at him."

"Which boy?" asked Cho.

"The brown haired one near the end of the table." said Luna.

"Oh, him." said Cho, "That's Neville Longbottom. If you remember, he was the one boy in our compartment when you first came here. You must have made an impression on him."

"How come?" said Luna, "What's so special about me?"

"Everything!" said Cho, "You're a special person, Luna."

"What do you think I should do about it?" asked Luna.

"From what I know about Neville," said Cho, "Parvati says he's very shy. I think he might want to know you, but he's too timid to ask you. I don't think he has any really close friends here. I also think he's a bit lonely."

"That's sad." said Luna, "As I asked before, what do you think I should I do?"

"If he's too shy to talk to you," said Cho, "Why not introduce yourself to him? You might end up with another good friend in Gryffindor. I do know Neville. I think you might like him."

"But how?" asked Luna, "I couldn't just 'buttonhole' him in a crowd."

"I'll have a word with my sister," said Parvati, who was sitting on the other side of Luna, "And see if she can find out his movements. I do know that he is something of a loner. If it's any help, I do know that on sunny evenings, he often sits on his own outside the castle doors just after dinner."

"That's a good idea." said Luna, "That way, there's a chance I might be able to approach him without being noticed. If the weather's nice this evening I might try that."

"You do that." said Cho, "And let us know how you get on."

That same Friday evening after dinner, Luna waited for a while after Neville had left the hall, and went out to try to introduce herself. She managed to approach him without being noticed until she sat down beside him. In fact, she had said "Penny for your thoughts." before he turned around to speak to her. The result of this meeting couldn't possibly have been more favourable. The result was the beginning of a really close friendship between the shy, awkward Gryffindor and Luna. Both of them looked on it with hindsight as the dawn of the love that was to develop between them. This meeting of two slight outcasts brought about changes in both of their lives. In Neville, Luna found someone who was prepared to accept her stories about fantastic creatures with an open mind. Neville, meanwhile, had found someone who more than accepted him as a person, and inspired him to change into the brave, confident young man he was to become. That same evening, he was very firm with Seamus Finnegan when he referred to Luna as 'Looney' in a mocking manner.

As the weeks passed, the relationship between Luna and Neville strengthened. By Yuletide they were inseparable. Neville had become Luna's 'go-to' person whenever she needed a boost. There was only one occasion when this didn't happen. This was when Neville was overcome by what Madame Pomfrey referred to as 'the Mournful Woebegones'. He didn't want Luna to be affected, so he decided to avoid her for a while. This had the opposite effect to what Neville had hoped and both of them ended up in the hospital wing with Madame Pomfrey playing 'Cupid'.

A sweeter occasion was the weekend the following February, when a Hogsmeade Saturday coincided with Luna's birthday. Since the next day was Valentine's Day, the couple enjoyed a wonderfully romantic weekend.

Two girls who did not cease their harassment of Luna were Latisha Randle and Felicity Eastchurch. They persisted in trying to find a weakness in Luna's emotional defences. This was proving more difficult now that Luna was in a strong romantic entanglement with Neville. She was stronger in many ways, and weaknesses in her defences would be harder to find. So determined were they on this quest to somehow dent Luna's confidence that they lost sight of the 'code of behaviour' they were supposed to observe and did something that even a Slytherin would think twice about doing. They viciously insulted her dead mother to her face. This was very much a taboo subject for Luna. She had, at long last, succeeded in banishing the trauma of witnessing her mother's violent death to the deepest, darkest recesses of her mind. This is how it happened.

One Tuesday afternoon, just after classes had finished, Luna was making her way back to the Ravenclaw girls' dormitory to 'park' her schoolbooks before dinner. After leaving them in her locker, she returned to the common room, only to be confronted by Latisha and Felicity. It was obvious from their expressions that they were intending mischief. Latisha started by making a number of snide remarks about Xenophilius Lovegood and his views on various subjects including 'He Who Must Not Be Named'. They also teased her about 'The Quibbler' and her habit of reading it upside down. She was used to his line of questioning by this time, and could easily deflect it.

"I think you'll find that my friend Harry Potter and a few other Gryffindors have the same opinions." said Luna.

"He's as crazy as you," said Latisha, "And so are his friends. He must be mad, as he's admitted to seeing something invisible to us, which he calls a Thestral."

"Anyway, Looney," said Felicity, adopting a new line of attack, "Where's your lovely mum?"

Luna was hurt by the tone of sarcasm in Felicity's voice. This was a subject she definitely did not want raised, even among her friends, but she felt she had to reply.

"She was killed in an accident when I was nine." said Luna, "I thought you knew that."

"She exploded, didn't she." said Latisha, approaching Luna very closely.

To say that Luna felt uncomfortable at this approach by the two girls would be a major understatement. Latisha and Felicity continued their onslaught. Luna was hoping against hope that someone else would come in to the common room, but nobody did. She was on her own.

"She was nothing more than an exploding squib." said Felicity, emphasising the last two words.

"Boom!" said Latisha, miming an explosion and catching Luna's face with the back of her hand.

This was too much for Luna. She finally cracked. She managed to push past her two tormentors and escaped from the room. She could withstand the usual direct teasing and being called 'Looney', in fact, she had come to accept it as the price of being 'different', but now they had insulted her dearly beloved dead mother. She managed to get clear of the common room before tears filled her eyes. To complete her escape, she ran up to the Astronomy Tower, where she hoped she wouldn't be disturbed, found a quiet corner, curled up almost into a ball and sobbed convulsively and uncontrollably. Despite her hunger and because of her emotional state, she felt she couldn't go into dinner like this, so the Astronomy Tower was where she stayed. Latisha and Felicity had found a chink in her emotional armour and penetrated it, to devastating effect. She was so upset, that she completely forgot her date with Neville that evening in the room of requirement. She was still crying her heart out when he found her four hours later, having gone up there to investigate the sound of her sobbing. She was not all that quiet. He calmed her down, took her to the Gryffindor common room, persuaded Hermione to use her influence with the house-elves in the kitchen to get some dinner for Luna, then took her back to her own common room so that she could go into her dormitory and try to get some sleep. She did eventually succumb to slumber. At about half past four the next morning, she screamed loudly, twice, in her sleep without any warning. Latisha and Felicity were among those woken up by this blood-curdling sound. Even those two realised, at this point, that they had crossed a line, that should not have been crossed, and gone too far in their persecution of Luna.

What her two housemates had done was considered by Luna's friends to be completely outside all norms of civilised interaction between Hogwarts students. Ron expressed the opinion that even the nastiest Slytherin would not go as far as these two girls had.

"Even Malfoy wouldn't go that far." he said.

Thanks to the actions of her small group of true friends, and Hermione's skill with spells, Luna's tribulations came to an end after the inter-house Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw the following Saturday morning. Following a counter-intuitive approach at the lunch table by Cho, Padma and Parvati, Latisha and Felicity were persuaded of the error of their ways, and eventually came to regard Luna as a friend.

Once Luna had become accepted as an intelligent and talented witch, the remainder of her stay at Hogwarts was as uneventful as it could have been under the circumstances. Together with Harry and Neville, she persuaded not only Latisha and Felicity but also their close friends Marietta and Isobel to join 'Dumbleore's Army', and also became strong enough emotionally to be able to generate a powerful patronus in the form of a hare. She was also one of only three of the members of Dumbleore's Army to be able to generate a shield patronus. The other two being Harry and Hermione.


	4. Chapter 4: Battles and Marriage

**Chapter 4: Battles, Separation, Exploration and Marriage**

During Luna's sixth year at Hogwarts, things were very different. There were several reasons for this. The main reason being the obvious emergence of Voldemort and his death eaters. Another factor making life difficult was the absence of three of Luna's Gryffindor friends; Ron, Harry and Hermione. However, the developing close relationship between Luna and Neville went some way to make up for this. With the death eaters being more open about their identities, Draco Malfoy became more of a nuisance to Luna, although he did not go so far as Latisha and Felicity had to insult the memory of her mother.

Life at Hogwarts was now a tense experience, as the Ministry of Magic was taking a very close interest in the school, having been taken over by Voldemort's forces a couple of years previously. Nobody wanted to buckle under to the forces of evil, and most people were expecting a battle sooner or later.

Of course, Dumbledore's Army was meeting when it could, but was no longer led by Harry Potter, as he was away with his companions hunting Voldemort's horcruxes. These were items into which he had transferred parts of his soul. The first one had been destroyed by Harry Potter in his second year, when he stabbed Tom Riddle's diary with the basilisk fang. They were also trying to prevent Voldemort acquiring the three 'Deathly Hallows'. These were the invisibility cloak, which Harry already possessed, the 'Resurrection Stone', and the 'Elder Wand', which was in the possession of Albus Dumbledore.

Albus Dumbledore had been killed in a preliminary skirmish between those who believed in the good side of magic and Voldemort's death eaters. The 'Elder Wand' had been buried with him in a special mausoleum at Hogwarts. Voldemort broke into the vault and took the Elder Wand, in the hope that he could now overcome any other wand.

Dumbledore's Army was now in capable hands, however, as Neville Longbottom was now leading it, with the inspiration and able assistance of Luna Lovegood. Even the sceptical Felicity and Latisha now believed Luna, and realised that she was just as sane as the rest of them. The witnesses to the few deaths that had occurred in the skirmish, could now see the Thestrals. It helped that one of these witnesses was Latisha Randle. She now fully realised where Luna was coming from and would never again doubt her wise words. What had started with a drive to treat Luna with ridicule was now a reason to treat her with respect. After all she, together with her father had seen the present troubles coming long before anyone else realised that anything was amiss.

The 'Battle of Hogwarts', when it eventually occurred on a couple of very hot days in the Summer, was ferocious. Harry, Ron and Hermione had returned to Hogwarts, and joined the loyal students and staff in battle with the death eaters. These latter had enlisted the assistance of giants, dragons and also the dementors of Azkeban.

During the battle, Neville tried to stay with Luna to protect her, but they repeatedly got separated. Luna, for her part, fought valiantly, disarming many of the death eaters. Sometimes, she let them get a bit too close. On one of these occasions, Neville was on hand to cast a 'Stupefy' spell to disable her attackers thus saving her life. She was wearing a short-sleeved cotton dress. This was probably not the ideal clothing for battle. However, when death eaters got close enough to grab it, she escaped by letting them tear bits off it. During the latter stages of the battle, Neville felt inspired by the certainty that Luna loved him to perform over and above his normal level. At one point, things seemed critical. Harry Potter was unconscious, possibly dead, and it looked as if Voldemort was about to win. Neville was approached by Voldemort's snake, Nagini. In his moment of desperation, and inspired by the knowledge of Luna's love for him, he summoned the sword of Gryffindor, and beheaded the snake. This had more of an effect than he expected. He had, by chance, destroyed the last horcrux. Voldemort was now weakened and Harry came back to life, was able to overcome him, and won the battle. The Elder Wand had failed Voldemort, as he had not himself killed its previous owner.

After this final battle at Hogwarts, Neville and Luna had become separated. Neville spent the whole of the next day and part of the evening searching for Luna, so he could express his love for her. Unfortunately, both of them chose the same strategy, but were waiting for each other in different parts of Hogwarts. Thanks to Neville trying out the 'Lumos' charm to test his wand, Luna found him on the Astronomy Tower. The couple were so glad to be reunited, that they gave in to their physical desires for each other in the open under the gentle moonlight.

By the time they returned to the temporary common room, Luna's dress was in tatters and just hanging on by a few threads. When she got up to get some water, the few threads broke and it fell right off, leaving her completely naked. It was obvious she was not in the least embarrassed by this. Hermione was shocked, but Luna managed to persuade her that her naked body was nothing to be ashamed of. As a result of this shock to Hermione's way of thinking, she thought deeply about her 'muggle' attitude to nudity. She realised she should be more comfortable about revealing her body, and even let Luna undress her. As a result, her own relationship with Ron became more relaxed, and more physical, to the benefit of both partners.

As Ron, Hermione and Harry had not yet taken their NEWTS, they had to stay on at Hogwarts for a further year. Neville had completed his course, but stayed on for a year as Professor Sprout's assistant, so he could be with his beloved Luna.

All wonderful things seem to be ephemeral. At the end of Luna's final year at Hogwarts, she had to decide what she was going to do for the next two or more years. Meanwhile, Neville had been offered a post as an auror in a new division of the Ministry of Magic in London. He was, falsely as it turned out, given the impression that the offer was time limited. Naturally he took it up. As Luna had decided to spend the next part of her life searching for fantastic creatures, it meant that the couple were going to be separated. This prospect threatened to break Luna's heart, as she was totally in love with her sweet Neville. She turned to her father for advice. He said it was her decision, but that he would advise her to go on her two-year exploration of Scandinavia, India and the Far East. She went travelling to these places, but the thought of Neville's love was always in her heart. When Neville offered to keep in touch with her, she pointed out that once she had left Europe, she would be going to places where he would not be able to communicate with her.

Her exploration initially took her to Sweden, where she was unsuccessful in locating the Crumple Horned Snorkack. Having travelled the length of that country, she departed for India, where she would be spending the next eighteen months. She had heard rumours that there were species of dragon out there, which were unknown to the wizarding community in Europe. She started her Indian odyssey in the North-West along the upper reaches of the Ganges. She also visited Nepal. In those two countries, she found twenty hitherto unknown species of Dragon. Not all of them were enormous fire-breathing monsters. In fact, most of them, although they were definitely dragons, were about the size of a rabbit. She carefully catalogued them, then moved South to Kerala Province, where she found five more different dragon species. Wherever she went, she created interest among the Indian wizarding community. They were intrigued by this young pale skinned blonde witch, with her almost encyclopaedic knowledge of the subject of Magizoology. While she was out there, she also developed a taste for the local food, which lasted for the rest of her life. After her return to England, she persuaded her friends that Indian food was worth eating.

Her next foray was into South-East Asia, here she did not expect to find any Unknown dragons, as she believed that the Chinese probably knew as much as anyone about these reptiles. Arriving in Kuala Lumpur, she was met by her contact in Malaysia, and taken to Kuantan on the East coast. She enjoyed a couple of days of rest and relaxation after the flight from Delhi and the tiring road journey to the East. The rest was welcome, but did allow thoughts of her beloved Neville to surface. She was glad to be able to resume her research. As she had expected, she did not find anything new on the mainland, but identified ten new species of dragon on Pulao Tioman, and Pulao Pangkor, two of the outlying islands. Her subsequent travels in East Malaysia and Indonesia uncovered a further twenty-two species. One of these, even when full-grown, was little larger than a hamster, but could still produce a flame.

Neville, meanwhile had taken up the post he had been offered in the Ministry of Magic. It was that of an auror in a newly formed division of the Ministry, which was to specialise in contacts with the muggle world. This division had three offices. The main one was in the Ministry headquarters in London. The others were in Bristol and at Hogwarts. This last one was closely connected with the 'muggle studies' department at the school. Neville was kept busy in his new post, but could not put thoughts of his sweet Luna out of his mind.

After two years had elapsed, Luna returned to Britain, and published her work. She had convinced herself over the last six months of her travels, that Neville would have found himself a new companion. This was a 'truth' she felt she was not able to face, so she applied for and obtained a post as a Junior Liaison Officer in the Bristol office. She chose Bristol because it was away from London, and would be the least likely place that she would come across Neville with his probable new partner.

Similar thoughts had occurred to Neville, as the date of Luna's possible return was approaching. He had convinced himself that Luna had also found a new partner, and would not want to know him anymore. He did, of course, find out that she had joined the Bristol office of the division, but had jumped to the conclusion that that was because she did have a new partner and was trying to avoid contact with him.

In the late Summer of 2012, two coincidences took place, which were to bring no less than four lives back on track.

In London, Neville, when he had time to spare would lose himself in the urban area's green spaces. One Wednesday afternoon in August, he was feeling tired after spending most of the day exploring Hampstead Heath. He asked to share a bench with a somewhat melancholy looking blonde girl. They got into conversation with each other. By the weekend, Neville had convinced himself that he had found a 'second Luna', so like Luna was this girl in so many ways. Her name was Cassie. She had originally come from Bristol, but had spent time in New York and London. Of course, she told Neville about her previous partner Sid, and did advise him that a little bit of her heart would always be with him.

Meanwhile, in Bristol, two days later, Luna was skipping and tripping lightly along to the nearest shops from her office when a young man came round a corner and ran headlong into her, knocking her down. He apologised profusely for his clumsiness. Her graceful acceptance of his apology made him feel even more guilty. They exchanged names. He was Sid, Cassie's former boyfriend. They realised that they worked in the same office. He offered to buy her a coffee after work to make amends. They got talking over the coffee, and another wonderful friendship was created, although Sid did let Luna know that a little bit of his heart would always be with his former partner, Cassie.

What neither Neville nor Luna knew was that the two muggles they had just met used to be a couple who separated, and that both of them were yearning for their former partners. For the next few months, Neville and Luna lived in their respective cities, unaware of the former relationship between their new muggle partners. By Yuletide, they were seriously beginning to believe that they had found companions they would stay with for life. The subject of marriage did occasionally come up in discussion but no actual proposals took place.

The second coincidence concerned meetings between the London and Bristol offices. Every year, in early May, the Ministry of Magic Muggle Liaison Division held a conference between the two main offices at a secluded location about half-way between them. The usual venue was Highclere Castle, about five miles South of Newbury. The wizarding delegates were expected to bring a companion. This person could be a colleague, the witch or wizard's spouse, alternatively, their partner or a friend, if they were not yet married. In the early March, of 2013, both Neville and Luna received invitations to that year's conference. They had each been given a list of delegates, but the names of the companions would not be issued until they actually registered for the event.

Naturally, Neville came to the Highclere Castle conference with Cassie, and Luna brought Sid along. Both Neville and Luna were very stressed about the meeting as they would certainly encounter each other with their new partners. Sid and Cassie did their best to reassure their respective partners and ensure that they would enjoy the event. Cassie seemed to have a 'sixth sense', which seemed to indicate that her Sid would be Luna's partner at the conference. She repeatedly told Neville that she had a 'good feeling' about the conference.

The two couples came to the conference from opposite directions in different coaches. They registered separately, and didn't actually meet until after the dinner on the first evening.

Sid introduced himself to Neville as they both entered the hotel bar in Newbury after the dinner. Neville was still wearing his name badge. They both settled down at a table with their drinks and waited for their ladies to come into the bar. While they were waiting, Cassie had met Luna in the ladies' toilet, and they got talking about their menfolk, as ladies do. They hatched a plan to surprise their partners, and put it into action.

Having ascertained that Neville and Sid were too engrossed in conversation to notice them, they entered the bar. Cassie came up behind Sid, gently covered his eyes with her fingers and said "Guess who?". Before Neville could react, Luna had her slender arms around him. To say that this was a joyous occasion would be an understatement. 'Changing partners' became the theme of the conference for these two sweet couples. There were many tears, this time, of sheer joy, when they realised fully just how much they had missed each other. Sid slept with his true love, Cassie, for the first time in a couple of years, while Neville spent the night with his beloved Luna.

On the Thursday morning, there was a 'closed' session which only delegates could attend. The companions were provided with options relating to which activities they would like to participate in. Whilst Neville and Luna attended the conference session, Sid and Cassie had opted for an excursion using all wheel drive vehicles round the locations featured in Richard Adams's book 'Watership Down'. This particular day was warm and sunny, with a light Easterly breeze. The excursion that Sid and Cassie had chosen ended with a picnic lunch with sparkling wine on the top of Watership Down itself, before returning to the conference venue. Thanks to the wind direction, there was no audible traffic noise. High in the sky, there were at least three skylarks singing. Sid decided to take advantage of the romantic atmosphere to make his move. While they were on the down itself and lunch was being prepared, Sid took Cassie to the top of the steep slope on the North side of the hill, and proposed marriage. Thankfully, unlike on his previous attempt in Phoenix, Arizona, she accepted. The Denbies sparkling wine provided with the meal went down very well.

Neville and Luna hadn't been inactive. Their closed session ended early, so at eleven o'clock in the morning, they watched one of the other activities laid on for the companions, a falconry demonstration taking place in the Quidditch arena. When this had finished, they had their buffet lunch, then wandered over to a Grecian temple style folly in the Highclere grounds. They were not so fortunate as Sid and Cassie in the 'romantic atmosphere' department, as the light Easterly breeze carried the traffic noise from the A34 towards the castle. Magic has its uses. Neville used a silencing charm to supress the traffic noise, then conjured up the sound of two nightingales to create the right environment for his proposal of marriage to Luna. She accepted, of course. Both couples had thought of the motto 'Carpe Diem' and abided by it.

During the evening social event at Highclere Castle, Neville took advantage of the presence of the personnel officers from both London and Bristol to ask for a transfer to the Bristol office. As an auror was required at that office, after some discussion between the two personnel officers, it was granted.

In due course of time, Sid married his Cassie in St Mary Redcliffe church in Bristol. Shortly before that, his best friend, Tony had married his fiancée Michelle in the same church. Both couples then attended the wedding of Neville and Luna at the beautifully rebuilt Shell Cottage. In the same summer, Hermione married her Ron. One of the more positive results of the wedding ceremonies and the associated receptions was the strong friendship that developed between Michelle and Hermione, following their long conversations at all four receptions.


	5. Chapter 5: Epilogue

**Chapter 5: Epilogue**

For the next few years, the situation was this. Sid and Cassie were a happily married couple. They were living in a rented flat in Bristol next door to Neville and Luna, who were also happily married. Living in a house not far away were Tony and Michelle. They all counted each other as close friends, and frequently enjoyed meals and other social occasions together. Because of their accidental, but fortuitous shared relationships with each other's partners, the friendship between Sid, Cassie, Neville and Luna was particularly close. Neville and Luna's friends, Ron and Hermione Weasley lived some miles away in Ottery St. Catchpole, but would occasionally come up to Bristol to spend time with the other six.

However, nothing in this ephemeral world lasts for ever. Neville's main ambition in life was always to become the professor of Herbology at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After he had spent four years as the resident Auror in the Bristol office of the Ministry of Magic, he was advised that Pomona Sprout was due for retirement in about a year. Naturally, he applied for the post as her replacement. Over the four-year period, he had studied the subject thoroughly, and had kept right up to date with current developments. Luna had not been idle either. She continued her studies in Magizoology. She was pleased and relieved to learn that Wrackspurts, Nargles and several of the other creatures she believed in had been recognised by the Ministry biologists as creatures that did actually exist. When Neville moved to Hogwarts, she would be involved in the teaching of the subject of 'Magical Creatures' in addition to her duties as a Liaison Officer with the Ministry of Magic. She was also likely to be called upon now and again to assist the Astronomy department due to her extensive knowledge of that subject.

Naturally, this was to be a sad time for Sid and Cassie. Their two closest friends in the whole world were going to be five hundred miles away. To give Sid and Cassie something to remember, them by, Neville organised for the four of them to go on a month long 'Once in a Lifetime' farewell cruise, which began in Miami and ended in Vancouver, taking in the Caribbean Sea and the West coast of North America, including Alaska. Neville had been thinking about this for some time, but had not done anything about it until his departure for Hogwarts was imminent. This long-awaited holiday was welcome. Also, on the cruise, and quite by coincidence, were Sam and Anthea Stonem, Tony's parents, who were celebrating having got back together again after a long separation.

To ease Cassie's worries about losing her closest friends, Neville assured her that Luna's 'muggle communication' duties would frequently bring her down to Bristol. He would apparate down with her whenever he could, and they would visit Sid and Cassie when they were there.

They were pleased, however, that Neville and Luna's replacements would be Ron and Hermione Weasley. Not only that, but that they would come to live in the flat vacated by Neville and Luna, as it was provided by the Ministry of Magic. This couple's extensive knowledge of the ways of muggles ideally suited them for the posts of Auror and Liaison Officer in Bristol. Another person pleased by this development was Michelle, as she could resume her close friendship with Hermione. Cassie also found that Hermione had the potential to become a very close friend, as she was quite similar to Michelle in a number of ways.

When the couple reached Hogwarts, Neville acted as professor Sprout's assistant for a year before her retirement, while Luna assisted Hagrid, who had been reinstated as professor of 'Magical Creatures'. She was able, not only to instruct her students about the usual creatures, such as Dragons, Unicorns and Thestrals, but was able to use her knowledge of the 'new' magical entities now recognised by the Ministry. Another benefit was the result of her extensive research into dragons in the Far East. She was now the world's expert on different species of dragon.

In Bristol, it took some months for Sid and Cassie to get used to the absence of their closest friends. The arrival of Ron and Hermione in Neville's old flat did, to a certain extent, soften the blow, but they did still miss Neville and Luna. Fortunately, Luna's work with the Ministry did bring her down to Bristol at frequent intervals. On these occasions, she often came with Neville, and they would stay for a meal with Sid and Cassie before apparating back to Hogwarts.

While Ron and Hermione would never be so close as friends to Sid and Cassie as Neville and Luna, they did, over the next couple of years become very close friends to the couple. However, their close association with Tony and Michelle did make for a harmonious group of friends. The occasions when all eight friends, four wizarding people and four muggles, were able to share an evening were memorable. This small network of friendships also proved to be invaluable to the work of the Ministry of Magic's Muggle Liaison Division, because of the informal exchange of information that occurred during their meetings. If anything, these informal meetings were even more useful than the scheduled formal meetings between Luna and Hermione.

Now it appeared that there was some long-term stability in their lives, all four couples began thinking about the next generation. Luna in Scotland was the first to become pregnant and gave birth to a pair of non-identical twins, whom she called Lorcan and Lysander. Cassie was not far behind with her daughter Hermia. Not long afterwards, Michelle had a daughter, Siobhán. Ron and Hermione waited a bit before they had a child. She also gave birth to a daughter and named her Rose.

Due to her wizarding ancestry, Cassie's daughter, Hermia qualified for a magical education at Hogwarts. She joined Lorcan and Lysander, and all three were sorted into Ravenclaw. A couple of years later, Rose Weasley followed the rest of her family members into Gryffindor.


End file.
